Season Preview: Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Title Fight is Wide Open

Peter Bennett is no longer competing in the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars at Seekonk Speedway. That opens the door for a new championship challenger to rise to the top of the class in 2020, in the midst of a COVID-delayed Fast Friday season, which is scheduled to begin on July 10, and roll through October 9.

Nick’s Pit Stop, owned by Keith Lascuola, returns for another year of sponsorship in the division. They have been with the class since its inception, and Seekonk can’t thank the entire team there enough for their support.

The division includes a mix of regulars, returning stars, and newcomers, which is sure to put on a thrilling battle each week. And, there are at least four extra distance races planned with major prestige around them. As part of the 75th anniversary Seekonk Diamond Jubilee Series sponsored by Everett’s Auto Parts, three, 30-lap races are planned. There is also a Nick Lascuola Racing Memorial event scheduled in September — and when more details are announced surrounding the race — you’ll understand why it could be such a major night.

The championship battle? Wide. Open.

Names like Josh Parsons, Brendon Hammann, Reagan Parent, Connor Holderbach, Connor Souza, Mason Tessier, Devin Deshaies and Paul Newcomb are all coming back for another swing. Parsons, who won more than a handful of races last year, went into the finale with a shot at the crown, but came up just short. If it wasn’t for one bad finish in the final stretch of races, the championship very well could have been in his hands. Can he redeem himself in 2020 and earn the crown? Hammann, who broke through for his first career win last year, is coming back with the speed and the drive to contend for the title.

Parent, who has been racing across the Northeast to prepare his Legend for 2020 during the COVID break in Massachusetts, is back, while Holderbach, Souza and Tessier are itching to return behind the wheel. Deshaies, a former champion in the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero division, is ready for his second season in a Legend Car after extensive pre-season testing. Newcomb, a Late Model competitor as well, runs for Nick Lascuola Racing and has shown speed to contend for wins.

Another driver who could be a major threat? Jake Johnson. He’s no stranger to Legends Cars, Late Models, or Pro Stocks these days. Johnson is a former Legends competitor at Seekonk, where he visited Victory Lane, but he took some time away and moved to the Late Models, where he was a winner, then the Pro Stocks, where he was a winner. Now, after a year touring with his full-bodied machines, Johnson is coming back to the division looking to pounce. Like Parent, he’s been up north during the break, trying to prepare his car so he can smoke the field at Seekonk. But this smoke-job isn’t going to be easy with the field breathing down his neck.

Don’t forget names like Giovanni Ruggerio, a former Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero competitor who is moving up to the Legends Cars this year. Gio, like others, has been competing elsewhere during the Massachusetts shutdown, especially down south as part of the Summer Shootout Series at the Legends Oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jacob Burns, Ben Amado, RJ Marcotte, Isiah Newcomb, Matt Carpenter and Mike Floyd are also expected.